French actor from ‘The Missing’ was 72

Tchéky Karyo, the French actor who starred in the BBC series “The Missing” and “Baptiste” and appeared in “La Femme Nikita,” “Addicted to Love,” “Bad Boys” and “GoldenEye,” died of cancer on October 31, according to AFP. He was 72.

Karyo was born in Istanbul in 1953 and moved to Paris with his family at a young age. There he studied drama at the Cyrano Theater and later performed as part of the Daniel Sorano Company. As a young man he joined the National Theater of Strasbourg and began acting in French films. He had notable early roles in Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “The Bear” and Luc Besson’s “La Femme Nikita.”

In the 1990s, Karyo began appearing in Hollywood films. He played the title character in “Nostradamus,” a villain opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in “Bad Boys,” an antagonist opposite Jet Li in “Kiss of the Dragon,” a French officer opposite Mel Gibson in “The Patriot” and a Russian Defense Minister opposite Pierce Brosnan in his first turn as James Bond in “GoldenEye.” He also appeared in Ridley Scott’s ‘1492: Conquest of Paradise’ and had a memorable role as a French restaurant owner in Griffin Dunne’s ‘Addicted to Love’.

Throughout the new millennium he starred in several American and French films and shows. In 2014, he started playing detective Julien Baptiste in ‘The Missing’. He played the lead character for two seasons and then reprized the role for a two-season spinoff, “Baptiste” from 2019 through 2021. Earlier this year, he appeared in the French comedy film “Faster.”

Karyo was also a songwriter and musician and had released two albums during his career. He was married twice, first to actress Isabelle Pasco. After their divorce, he married actress Valérie Keruzoré in 2002. They remained married until his death.

He is survived by Keruzoré and their two children, Louise and Liv.